The same year that British studio Hammer gave us their classic version of Dracula, America produced this far more tepid and forgettable contemporary affair, in which the infamous Count (Francis Lederer) kills European artist Bellac Gordal (Norbert Schiller), assumes his identity, and travels to a small town in California to stay with the dead man's relatives, the Mayberrys. Once there, Dracula proceeds to take a bite out of the family cat, has a suck on sickly blind girl Jennie (Virginia Vincent) and tries to 'turn' Rachel Mayberry (Norma Eberhardt). Meanwhile, European cop/vampire hunter John Merriman (John Wengraf) arrives in town, stakes at the ready.
A cheap B-grade drive-in flick, The Return of Dracula is more apple pie and white picket fences than blood red fangs and storm lashed castles, much of the action revolving around Rachel's wholesome relationship with boyfriend Tim (Ray Stricklyn) and her part time job at the Parish Home looking after the elderly and the infirm. Dracula's antics are fairly limited, the Count's only human victim being poor Jennie, who in turn puts the bite on immigration investigator Mack Bryant (Charles Tannen). For most of the time, Drac is hidden away in his room, or in his coffin, which is stowed away in a disused mine (don't ask how he got it there).
The film's most effective moments are when Dracula enters Jennie's room in mist form (Rachel having thoughtfully opened the window and removed the poor girl's cross pendant), and a brief moment in colour: the bloody staking of Jennie in her coffin. Unfortunately, the film's shortcomings easily outweigh its positives: a scare-free script; a vampire without fangs (we never see his protruding canines and he leaves no bite marks, leaving us to wonder exactly how he drains his victim's blood); humdrum performances; and a sudden accidental demise for the vampire, clumsy old Drac falling down a pit while backing away from a cross. Doh!
A cheap B-grade drive-in flick, The Return of Dracula is more apple pie and white picket fences than blood red fangs and storm lashed castles, much of the action revolving around Rachel's wholesome relationship with boyfriend Tim (Ray Stricklyn) and her part time job at the Parish Home looking after the elderly and the infirm. Dracula's antics are fairly limited, the Count's only human victim being poor Jennie, who in turn puts the bite on immigration investigator Mack Bryant (Charles Tannen). For most of the time, Drac is hidden away in his room, or in his coffin, which is stowed away in a disused mine (don't ask how he got it there).
The film's most effective moments are when Dracula enters Jennie's room in mist form (Rachel having thoughtfully opened the window and removed the poor girl's cross pendant), and a brief moment in colour: the bloody staking of Jennie in her coffin. Unfortunately, the film's shortcomings easily outweigh its positives: a scare-free script; a vampire without fangs (we never see his protruding canines and he leaves no bite marks, leaving us to wonder exactly how he drains his victim's blood); humdrum performances; and a sudden accidental demise for the vampire, clumsy old Drac falling down a pit while backing away from a cross. Doh!